A Place to Breath
by Jax33
Summary: Takes place directly after the Runaways return from 1907. Finding a new home in Malibu the Runaways want nothing more now than some peace and quiet and some time to lick their wounds - yet an enemy from their past is hot on their trail and out for revenge


_**Runaways**_

_**a place to breath**_

_written by Jax33_

_created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona_

Their steps were hurried as they decended further and further down the stairs that would lead them to the basement - the two of them knew how positively the boss would take this good news and were in an unspoken competition to see who could reach and tell him first. Deeper and deeper the steps took them, the occasional lamp hanging from the ceiling the only source of light in an otherwise pitch black and cramped staircase. After what seemed like an eternity they finally reached the bottom and were confronted by a large wooden door. Jax and Nathan both took one look at each other before Jack raised his fist and brought it down to make three large knocks.

There was silence.

'Come in.'

They pushed the door open to reveal a large room completely cloaked in darkness.

'Hurry!' the voice urged angrily from a darkened corner. 'You're letting in the light!'

The two did as they were told, walking into the room and closing the door behind them, now no longer able to see their hand in front of their face.

'Now, now now' the voice said, all anger now gone and replaced with excitement. 'Are you here to tell me what I think you're here to tell me?'

'We've found them' Nathan spoke quickly, smiley smugly to himself knowing full well that Jack was probably shooting him the mother of all death looks right now.

'Where?'

'They were caught on camera in a mall in Malibu' Jax answered, attempting to make up for missing the big reveal by providing the details. 'Saved some guy from falling to his death by making a...a tree...suddenly appear.'

'Hmmm...I don't remember their being a chlorokinesis on the team' the bodyless voice seemed to mutter more to itself than the two others in the room.

'From what you've told us she must be a new addition' Jax continued. 'Another child similar in age to the Molly girl. There seems to be a lot of new faces in the team since you last saw them...along with a few missing ones.'

'NICO AND KAROLINA?!' the voice asked urgently. 'Are they still there!?'

'Yes.'

'Good...their important. Anyone else is just for kicks.'

'What do you want us to do?' Nathan asked. 'Send a group to track and capture?'

'No...' came the reply. 'I've underestimated these children once before to my own peril and won't make the same mistake twice. Their strongest weapon is their unity...to take them out we're going to have to divide them and pick them off one by one.'

Silence once again fell upon the room.

'Arrange transport to Malibu' the voice ordered. 'I want everyone there...including myself.'

'But your condit---' Nathan began.

'This is personal!' the voice bellowed. 'What those children did to me...I want to be there as the life drains out of the eyes of each and every one of them.'

Laughter filled the room.

'So get the pack ready for a field trip!' the voiced screamed hysterically. 'Time for a little revenge.'

*

'Chase!' Nico yelled as she entered into his room. 'Chase Stein get up! The team meeting was supposed to start ten minutes ago.'

'Goawaynico' Chase mumbled as he buried his head back into his pillow.

'Chase I know you were at the station late last night' Nico said, trying her best to reason with him. 'But it's nearly four and this meeting has been long overdue. We haven't all had a chance to sit down and speak since we got back from 1907.'

'What's there to talk about?' Chase asked, finally giving up on any foolish notion he had of spending his day off recovering from a hangover in bed. 'We got back, I'm making some money and now we've found a cool new place in Malibu to call home.'

'Chase' Nico sighed. 'You know theres more to this than that.'

'Fine' Chased grumbled. 'I'll be down in ten.'

'Make that five' Nico smiled as she made her way out of the room. 'Otherwise I'm sending Molly to come get you.'

*

'Okay I'm here' Chase announced as he flopped down onto an empty bean bag in the front room of their new Malibu home. 'Shall we begin?'

Nico looked round the room - Karolina was leaned against one end of the large couch with her legs in the lap of Xavin who sat on the other end. Molly and Klara were positioned on the floor next to the now turned off television and Old Lace seemed busy chomping on some form of meat in her food bowl.

'Where's Victor?' Nico asked.

'Erm...' Karolina began awkwardly. 'I told him about the meeting but he said he had somewhere to go.'

'Pffft somewhere to be?' Molly said. 'He's probably gone back to that cliff again to look out at the sea and get all depressed about Li--'

'Fine' Nico interrupted. 'If that's where he would rather be than let him. Let's just get this meeting started.'

'That's fine?' Xavin asked. 'He's allowing his personal feelings to impact on his place in the team. All Skrulls are taught that allowing personal feelings to interfere with you're commitment to your unit only leads to trouble.'

'Yeah well last I checked we weren't a unit of Skrulls' Nico bit back, feeling the begginnings of another codecending Xavin lecture of how bad a leader she was.

'You should have strong words with him and focus his mind back on more important things - that is the role of leader.'

'Fine!' Nico replied as she rose to her feet. 'Forget the team meeting I'll go have strong words with Victor. Happy now?'

With that she stormed out of the room.

'I don't understand' Xavin began. 'Why my advice always angers her so. A leader should always be willing to listen to the advice of others.'

'Baby, Nico can listen to the advice of others' Karolina said as she took her feet off Xavin and began to run her hands through her hair. 'It's just that she's been under a lot of stress lately...we all have.'

'Yeah' Chase added. 'Plus you're way of speaking doesn't always rub people the right way when you're supposedly offering advice dude.'

'What is wrong with how I speak?'

Molly and Klara sat in the corner, their eyes now fully focused on the now on again televison.

'Do you people always argue so much?' Klara asked, unable to divert her eyes from the wonder of the moving pictures box.

'Pretty much...' Molly replied. 'But what families don't?'

*

Victor wasn't sure how long he'd been staring out at nothingness. He had attempted to count the times the waves crashed against a large group of rocks below him but had become distracted by his thoughts long ago.

'Sorry' he spoke suddenly, coming out of his daze. 'I wasn't really in the mood for a team meeting.'

Nico had walked towards him but stopped a few feet away.

'Yeah I figured but Xavin thought I should come up here and give you some strong words as leader' she said laughed. 'He's such a Skrull sometimes.'

'Maybe he's got a point' Victor replied seriously, completeley ignoring Nico's attempts to lighten the mood. 'I haven't exactly been pulling my weight much since we got back - wouldn't blame you if you were pissed.'

Nico dropped the happy act and chose her next words carefully.

'I know what it's like to lose someone' her voice a whisper. 'We've all lost our parents but you, me and Chase...we've experienced a whole new kind of loss. I think that's probably why Chase has been so desperate to take you out drinking in the Leapfrog ever since we got back...he knows what you're going through and in his own way he wants to help.'

'Doe's it ever go away?' Victor asked. 'That horrible tightness in your chest?'

Nico walked up to behind Victor and placed a hand on his shoulder.

'Never' she answered honestly. 'It's always going to be there as a constant reminder...not letting you forget. Everyday you'll get a little more used to it though. Before you know it, you've forgotten what it was ever like not to have it there inside you.'

Victor let out a small smile - the first smile since he'd left Lillie in 1907.

'Sometimes Nico I think you're probably the most amazing girl I'm ever going to meet' he laughed.

'Second' she said, returning his smile. 'Now come on lets head back - Molly wants to teach Klara how to play monopoly and I said we'd all help.'

'Sure I'll be down in a minute. I just need a moment.'

'Okay' Nico smiled. 'Don't keep me waiting.'

She began to walk back down the cliff.

'Nico.'

'Yes?'

'When you were talking about losing someone...did you mean me?'

He flashed her a cocky grin.

Nico laughed.

'In your dreams Romeo - monopoly in ten minutes.'

Victor closed his eyes and took a deep breath - opening them and looking out at the sea properly for the first time since they'd arrived.

'Cool.'


End file.
